Chapter 17
The next morning Ai was actually sleeping in for once and Syo was just lying there with her. He heard a faint knock on the door and he careful slid out of bed so he wouldn't wake Ai up. He opened the door and Natsuki was there. Syo, "Hey Natsuki, what's up?" Natsuki, "STARISH has practice in an hour and Quartet-Night has Practice in 2 hours." Syo, "Thanks for the update. When do we preform?" Natsuki, "Tonight after dinner so around 7ish." Syo, "Are we going to preform any of the songs that we practiced with Quartet-Night?" Natsuki, "We're going to decide that after Quartet-Night finishes their practice. If we do this afternoon is when were going to practice." Syo, "Alright." Natsuki glanced in and noticed one of the beds looked like it hadn't been touched at all and Ai's back was to him. Natsuki, "Did you and Ai you know have sex?" Syo blushed, "No, I did sleep in the same bed though, he's terrified of boats it took me a while to get him calmed down." Natsuki nodded, "We'll I'll leave you two cuties alone to get ready, see you in an hour." Syo closed the door and went over to Ai, he didn't want to wake her up, he took a moment to glance at her features, her long lashes were softly pressed together, her salmon pink lips partly opened, her right arm was bent to where it was tucked underneath her head with her left arm going across and her hand going up to rest on her slim upper arms with her right cheek placed on her wrist. Her hair was pulled out of her normal ponytail giving it a cute shaggy look. Syo, "cute." Syo stopped his staring and finally decided to wake her up. He shook her should carefully, "Ai, its time to wake up." Ai's eyes fluttered open. "What time is it?" Ai said as she sat up carefully rubbing one of her eyes to remove the sleepy. Syo, "it's a little past 7." Ai was wide-awake now; she had overslept by 2 hours. Syo, "You were so calm and relaxed I didn't have the heart to wake you up just yet." Ai nodded she wanted to glance out the window, but knew because of better judgment to not do that. Syo, "Natsuki just came by, STARISH has practice in an hour and Quartet-Night practices in 2 hours." Ai, "Can I stay with you while you're practicing?" Syo, "Of course you can. Now come on lets get ready." Syo went to his bag and grabbed both of their clothes before handing Ai her clothes.
After they got ready Syo put his hand around Ai's waist as they walked to wear the practice room on the boat was. Ai had been a lot calmer today then yesterday when she first stepped on a boat. But you could tell by her eyes that she was still afraid. When they arrived both STARISH and Quartet-Night were in the room. Ai noticed a look on Reiji, Ranmaru, Camus, Ren, Otoya, and Cecil's face. Ai, "What's up with you bunch?" Reiji, "Nothing Ai-Ai!" Ai didn't believe them but went along with it not having the will to argue. STARISH, "Which song should we preform?" Syo, "What about Yumeoibto e no Symphony." Natsuki, "I like that one." Tokiya, "I agree." Masato, "Any objections?" Ren, "I think we have our song choice." Ai along with the rest of Quartet-Night went to the side and sat down in the chairs to watch them practice when Reiji whispered to Ai. "I heard you and Syo-chan slept in the same bed last night." Ranmaru had heard this and whispered, "Mikaze is that true?" Ai kept her monotone face, "What, all we did is sleep." She was already becoming agitated; she didn't want to show fear again. She was trying really hard to not start crying at the moment. Camus then joined the conversation. "Is that true?" Ai looked at all of them surprised, "What do you take me for?" Ranmaru, "I dunno, its just you've never been as close to someone as Syo." Ai looked at Syo softly before whispering, "Its just I hate boats with a passion, I'm just now learning to overcome my fear of water, but boats I'm afraid, and he stayed next with me because I felt safe with him near." Reiji, "So cute~!" Ai ignored him and just watch STARISH practice, mainly Syo.
Music in the background
Masato: I want you to try placing your hand on my chest for a bit
Syo: You can feel it, right? A warm sound
Otoya: This gentle sound is a melody just for you
Cecil: This underlying rhythm…please believe in it
Otoya: Both joy
Syo: And courage,
Natsuki: And the tomorrow that comes after this,
Masato: Are woven together
Cecil: With music
Tokiya: And even tears,
Otoya & Cecil: Let me
Masato & Syo: Shoulder half
Natsuki & Tokiya: Of the entire burden
Otoya & Masato & Syo & Cecil: I'll always
Ren: Be by your side!
All: We love your song… We need you!
Otoya: You are who you are!
Ren: As you are now,
Masato & Ren: We'll paint our dreams
All: We love your song… We feel you!
Tokiya: Let's go together on this star road
Syo: So then,
Masato: This symphony
Cecil: We'll dedicate it to you
Tokiya: You can cry whenever you want to cry
Ren: I'll still hold you and all your tears close!
Natsuki: After the rain, the sun will always rise
Cecil: Illuminating the map to the future
Natsuki: Though we
Ren: May not know
Masato: What kind of story
Tokiya: Awaits us
Cecil: At the end
Otoya: Of the this road,
Natsuki & Cecil: No matter
Tokiya & Ren: The darkness,
Otoya & Masato: It can
Natsuki & Tokiya & Ren & Cecil: Never erase
Syo: The light of hope
All: We love your song… We miss you!
Otoya: We'll never let you go!
Ren: Everything about you,
Masato & Ren: Ah, we love you so much!
All: We love your song… We kiss you!
Masato: We'll protect your for eternity!
Syo: Resounding,
Natsuki: This symphony,
Cecil: We'll deliver it to you
All: We love your song… We believe you!
Otoya: You are who you are!
Ren: As you are now,
Masato & Syo: We'll paint our dreams
All: We hold you… We want you!
Tokiya: Let's go together on this star road!
Syo: So then,
Natsuki: This symphony,
Cecil: We'll dedicate it to you
Otoya & Masato & Tokiya & Ren & Syo & Cecil: No matter the walls that stand between us,
Natsuki: Without forgetting
Natsuki & Tokiya: Your smiling face,
Otoya & Masato & Natsuki & Ren & Syo & Cecil: Under the seven-colored names of love and the stars,
Tokiya: To you who are chasing your dreams,
All: This song will sine…
As the song ended Ai had a tears running down her face. The song hit her deep, Syo saw her crying and immediately ran over to her. Syo, "Ai are you okay? What's the matter? Are you scared again." He whipped away her tear and the ever-sneaky Natsuki took their picture. Quartet-Night saw how much Syo was worrying about Ai, none of them had noticed Ai had tears running down his face, not even Reiji had noticed. Ai just smiled at Syo and the rest of STARISH, "I'm fine, that's a lovely song." Syo, "Oh, you hadn't heard this one yet have you." Ai shook her head. Natsuki, "Syo wouldn't stop bothering us the other day when you were gone, he knew you were busy and he would talk to you during the night so he bugged us to come up with lyrics to a composition Nanami had been working on." Camus, "Syo from your part alone, love is heard." Ranmaru, "Mikaze you heard it to right? That's why you cried." Ai nodded her head slightly. Syo, "Awe Ai. You're just so cute!" He hugged her and everyone was just smiling. Reiji, "Our students did an amazing job, but lets show them there's still a lot to learn." Ranmaru, "Right on." Camus just got up while Syo helped Ai up. STARISH sat down while Quartet-Night didn't even need to talk about which song they would preform. They practiced their song QUARTET NIGHT. Syo watched Ai; he noticed how she calmed down when the music began to play. He saw tension release from her shoulders, everyone could tell from the way Ai had been, dealing with her own fear to please the audience was a true performer. Ai was truly an amazing person.
Music playing
Reiji: I love you! Drawing close
Ranmaru: Legend days
Ai: I'll grant your wish
Camus: Dear my precious
All: I'll teach you…my eternal dream
Reiji: When it seems so hot, isn't it dangerous?
Ranmaru: This rockin' feeling, do you feel it? All of it
Camus: I'll punish those lips
AI: Love's mark… It's not so bad, right?
All: No, no, missing!
Reiji & Ai: I want you so much, I'm trembling
Ranmaru & Camus: I want to snatch you away right now
I won't stop
Reiji & Ai: I can't stop
All: My heart's crying out!
All: I love you! I'll take you
To a world like which you've never seen, dear my precious
Reiji: So dangerous,
Ranmaru: We are
Ai: Burning!
Camus: Love's
Q-U-
Reiji: A-R-
Ai: T
All Night!
All: You're probably leaving it all up to a kiss…
I'll teach you a bitter time, enchanting like you've never known before
Reiji: The tenderness of the heart is, ah… Shalala, my angel
Ranmaru: A living sign in a sweet image
Camus: Becoming so hot, it's even more tantalizing
Ai: But it's fine, it's not like I hate it
All: No, no praying!
Ranmaru & Ai: I'm not as kind as you think I am
Reiji & Camus: My malicious lesson time
If you want it,
Ranmaru & Ai: If you want it,
All: Show me your heart!
All: I love you! Such things as "I want to hold you close,"
Ah, I want to hear those things from you
Camus: I'm so dishonest
Ai: That it's
Ranmaru: Painful
Reiji: Love's
Q-U-
Ranmaru: A-R-
Ai: T-E-
Camus: T
All: Night!
All: I'll close my eyes and wait for only 3 seconds…
It's okay, whatever the title, I'll resign to your "answer"!
Reiji & Ranmaru: Beyond the future, like this wind,
Ai & Camus: I want to be in love with you for eternity
If there's
Reiji & Ranmaru: A reward,
All: Everyone will push themselves to the limit!
All: I love you! Drawing close…Legend days
I'll grant your wish, dear my precious!
Reiji: So dangerous,
Ranmaru: We are
Ai: Burning!
Camus: Love's
Q-U-
Reiji: A-R-
Ranmaru: T-E-
Ai: T
All: Night!
All: You're probably leaving it up to a kiss…
I'll teach you…my eternal dream, enchanting like you've never known before
As the song concluded Syo ran over to Ai he was surprised how well she could hide her fear while she was preforming, but the moment the music had ended Ai was holding herself and squatted down. Syo, "Ai, you did a really good job. You were able to preform while the boat was rocking." Ranmaru, "Mikaze, you made great progress from yesterday." Reiji, "Ai-Ai there's nothing to be afraid of anymore. None of us would let anything happen to you." The rest of STARISH walked up to Ai Natsuki, "Ai-chan, everything's all right now." Otoya, "We don't know why your afraid of boats" Tokiya, "But if something every happened" Natsuki, "We'll be right by your side." Ren, "In a heartbeat." Masato, "If we weren't" Cecil, "What kind of friends would we be?" Syo, "See there's nothing to be afraid of Ai." Ai nodded and Syo helped her stand up straight. She held onto his hand and that always gave her comfort. She was slowly overcoming her fear.
Well that's the end of this chapter; Ai has begun the process with everyone's help to overcoming her fear. But what was the look on Reiji, Ranmaru, Camus, Ren, Otoya, and Cecil's face I wonder? Find out in one of the next two chapters, until then farewell!